Chapter 45: Watch your tongue

"I see." Shera snickered. It couldn't be any more obvious just why Livian would want to see her, and she was fully willing to let him try his horrible luck. "I'll meet him in my office tomorrow at 9am."

"Yes. I'll go back now." Purple said softly, to which Shera gave a slight nod.

It was only after leaving the cedar that Purple truly believed that she had been spared. So Shera was capable of forgiving too? It came both as a shock and a relief.

…

Later that evening.

Purple was going through Shera's schedule for the next day when she recieved a call from an unknown number.

Who would call her personal phone? She wondered as she picked it up and recieved it with all her senses alert.

"Ellie."

Purple let out the breath she had been holding when she heard that word from the other side. So it was Cedric. "What do you want?"

"Why did you disappear on me?" He threw back a question at her.

"If you just called to ask… look. We shouldn't be talking. I'll hang up now." Purple was inarticulate.

"Wait. Don't hang up yet." Cedric pleaded in a tone so humble that one wouldn't imagine it from him. Purple was so surprised that she gripped her phone with a racing heart. She snapped back when she heard his voice from the other end. "Ellie, let's meet up and talk. I have something important to tell you and I promise, it's going to be our last meeting." He threw a location and time, and hung up before she had the chance to say a word.

Purple gripped her phone after hearing the disconnecting doot-doot sound. What was Cedric thinking?

She thought of ignoring him and not going to meet but thinking about it again, she was yet to complete her task and it was related to him. She wondered whether this would be the right time to do it. After considering all the options, she decided that she would tell Shera about it before going to meet Cedric.

The next morning.

As expected, Livian was not a second late, arriving in Shera's office as soon as it was 9am.

"Look who we have here." Shera twirled a pen when she saw him walk in. Were the Qins not tired?

"So this is what has my brother confused? I can't believe how horrible his taste has become." Livian scoffed as he regarded the woman behind the desk. He did not even bother to sit and she didn't bother to offer him a seat either.

"I don't know about your brother's taste." Shera responded with a snicker of her own. "But you better start talking. You have five minutes."

"Excuse me?" Livian frowned.

"Oh, my bad." Shera placed a hand on her chest as though realizing her mistake. "Five minutes is too much. Make that three."

Livian tried not to lose his cool. Getting angry because of a crazy woman was not worth his time. "What will it take for you to stay away from the Qin family?" He went straight to the point.

"So you are here to negotiate with me." Shera rolled her pen with a smirk.

"I can stay away from your precious family."

"What's your condition? What do you want? Money? Shares? One of our branche? Just state the price." Livian checked the time on his golden watch as though she was the one taking up his time and not the other way round.

"It's pretty simple." Shera lifted her lips into a smirk. "I will no longer go after your family, I will not even get close to anyone with the surname Qin if…" she paused for a whole half a minute as though thinking of a perfect condition to ask for. "...if all the Qins go to the top floor of The Qin Empire."

"Go to the top floor of The Qin Empire?" Livian was confused.

"Yes." Her smile suddenly faded and was replaced with an evil smirk. "If you go to the top floor of The Qin Empire and leap down the building one at a time, committing suicide. I won't have a reason to go after dead people, now will I?"

Livian balled his fists at his sides. "You're a freaking psycho." He snarled, mumbling to himself, 'I can't believe I even thought I could negotiate with her.'

Trying not to go crazy from her insane words, he took a deep breath. Perhaps if he understood her, he would be able to find a way to stop her. Doesn't that always work? He checked on his watch and found that he had about one minute left. He looked at her and asked, "what kind of animosity do you have against the Qin family?"

"I just hate you. What about it?"

"You're not just a psycho. You're an impossible witch too." It escaped his mouth.

To that, Shera crossed her legs behind the desk. "Listen kiddo, you might have saved my life once before, but that doesn't mean you don't have to watch your tongue."

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